Jonathan Bernstein
jonbern.bsky.social
Jonathan Bernstein
@jonbern.bsky.social
biography of justin townes earle out jan. 13
senior research editor at rolling stone
he/him

https://jonbernsteinwriting.com/
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
pleased to share by review of an outstanding new bio of Justin Townes Earle. Curious what you think...
@jonbern.bsky.social
BOOK REVIEW: Listening for Justin Townes Earle in “What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome”
Originally Published on AmericanaHighways.org
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:30 PM
what an amazingly well-written review. thank you so much for reading so closely!!!!
January 14, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
Jonathan Bernstein’s authorized biography of Justin Townes Earle paints a vivid portrait of the late, great roots musician.
Authorized Justin Townes Earle Biography Paints a Vivid Portrait
Jonathan Bernstein’s ‘What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome’ excavates the legacy of a late, great songwriter
www.nashvillescene.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The @nashvillescene.com and its coverage of the city's arts is such an important part of my book.

To have a writer I admire as much as Annie review my book so carefully in its pages is an enormous honor.
January 14, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
“Even when Justin Townes Earle was bullshitting, he was more than a little right.”

—In the introduction to the authorized biography of Justin Townes Earle, @jonbern.bsky.social captures the origins of his storied name and his battle with “the myth.”

🔗: https://shorturl.at/TPMeP
January 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Moved beyond words by @carynrose.bsky.social's review of my book. To feel so seen by a review is a feeling I won't forget:
www.salon.com/2026/01/13/t...
Telling the hard parts: 4 music books that push past the highlight reel
From radio legend Mary Lucia to Justin Townes Earle, these books examine the price worth paying for a creative life.
www.salon.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
for this week's Salon column, I wrote about a handful of new-ish music books: Mary Lucia's memoir, Jon Bernstein's astonishing Justin Townes Earle bio, Amy Rigby's most recent memoir & Cameron Crowe's "The Uncool" www.salon.com/2026/01/13/t...
Telling the hard parts: 4 music books that push past the highlight reel
From radio legend Mary Lucia to Justin Townes Earle, these books examine the price worth paying for a creative life.
www.salon.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
Happy pub day to @jonbern.bsky.social ! This book is a knockout. I’ll be chatting with JB about it at Greenlight tonight, come hang! greenlightbookstore.com/event/2026-0...
January 13, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Charles is one of my scholarly/writerly heroes so it was a huge honor to speak with his and @cantkill.bsky.social's (another music writing hero) No Fences about my Justin bio.
New at No Fences Review: @jonbern.bsky.social talks to me about his new biography of Justin Townes Earle. Released today, it's a stunning book and I really enjoyed talking with Bernstein about it. Please share and subscribe!
Remembering Justin Townes Earle: A conversation with Jonathan Bernstein
Charles talks to the author of a new biography of the late artist
nofencesreview.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:15 PM
If you'd like a preview, the @oxfordamerican.bsky.social published the book's introduction today as an excerpt!

oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/justi...
“Beneath his bluster was a fragile yearning”
oxfordamerican.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:39 PM
tysm means a ton!
January 13, 2026 at 2:02 PM
It's out today! Thanks to anyone giving this book a shot.
www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jonat...
January 13, 2026 at 1:24 PM
[DBT voice]: "It's publication day"
January 13, 2026 at 12:23 PM
i think you're onto something for sure! in the liner notes to this album he thanks his defense attorney and the "state of Indiana for the free press." his post-Indianapolis public persona was top of mind.
January 12, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Andrew Summers is an important part of the story of the Black Country Music Association. Now he has stage four cancer.

Please consider donating to this fundraiser:

www.gofundme.com/f/standing-w...
Donate to Standing with Andrew Through His Cancer Battle, organized by FRANKIE STATON
Hi, my name is Andrew Summers, and I’m reaching out for help during one … FRANKIE STATON needs your support for Standing with Andrew Through His Cancer Battle
www.gofundme.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
something that's true about me is I will always cry at the part in "Desperadoes Under The Eaves" when Zevon harmonizes with the hum of the air-conditioner, even and especially when I'm in public.
January 12, 2026 at 3:57 PM
thank you!
January 12, 2026 at 1:14 PM
And it was so great to have been asked such thoughtful questions by Chris Dalla Riva, who has one of the best music-related Substacks out there:
www.cantgetmuchhigher.com/p/an-underra...
Artists Gone Too Soon: A Conversation with Jonathan Bernstein
After years of intense research, Jonathan Bernstein's biography of singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle is finally here
www.cantgetmuchhigher.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:36 PM
An honor to receive a review as thoughtful as this, by someone who was there for it all:

"What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome...catches the moment when Nashville music became Americana."

chapter16.org/hard-to-pin-...
Hard to Pin Down
Jonathan Bernstein’s What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle catches the moment when Nashville music became Am…
chapter16.org
January 12, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bernstein
Suspect arrested in predawn fire that left parts of Mississippi’s largest synagogue in charred ruins

A fire heavily damaged Jackson’s only synagogue before dawn Saturday – the same house of worship that was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 because the rabbi had been an advocate for civil…
Suspect arrested in predawn fire that left parts of Mississippi’s largest synagogue in charred ruins
A fire heavily damaged Jackson’s only synagogue before dawn Saturday – the same house of worship that was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 because the rabbi had been an advocate for civil rights.
mississippitoday.org
January 11, 2026 at 3:07 AM
The first radio station I truly fell in love w/ was 89.3 The Current.

What an honor to have been interviewed about Justin Townes Earle by the great Bill Deville:
www.thecurrent.org/feature/2026...
Jonathan Bernstein, writer of the authorized biography of Justin Townes Earle, shares thoughts on the late singer-songwriter
Bernstein spoke with The Current’s Bill DeVille ahead of the January 13 release of ‘What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle.’
www.thecurrent.org
January 11, 2026 at 4:33 PM
how cool! thanks for sharing.
January 11, 2026 at 2:05 AM